Simba, a 4-year-old lion once owned by the royal family of Qatar, has found a new palace at the Detroit Zoo. / Patty Woods Truesdell/Detroit Zoo

By Associated Press

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Simba, a 4-year-old male lion has been regifted to the Detroit Zoo by the royal family of Qatar / Patty Woods Truesdell/Detroit Zoo

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ROYAL OAK — A 4-year-old male lion once owned by the royal family of Qatar is making his home at the Detroit Zoo.

The zoo announced today that the lion named Simba arrived in the U.S. in October. The zoo says the royal family received Simba as a gift, but after a few years decided he would be better off in a different environment.

Simba joins the Detroit Zoo's two female lions in a recently remodeled 7,500-square-foot habitat. Bikira, 20, was born at an Arizona zoo and came to Detroit when she was 9 months old. Erin, estimated to be 11 years old, was rescued from a junkyard in Kansas in 2009.

Going forward, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums is expected to identify another female lion as a mate for Simba with the intent of breeding and starting a family.